Beef-cooler attachment.



J. W. ASHWORTH.

BEEF COOLER ATTACHMENT.

, APPLICATION TILED 11,111.21, 1004. xnnnwnn JUNE 9. 1909. 950,628.

Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

' L J M H J/ I 7 7 a 4 l =3 2 v y l J71 zlriib 1 2 v JOHN W. ASHWORTH, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

BEEF-COOLER ATTACHIMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

Application filed March 21, 1904, Serial No. 199,271. Renewed June 9, 1909. Serial No. 501,187.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J 01m 7. Asnwou'ri-r, citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beef-Cooler Attachments; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will onable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has reference to a closure for the openings surrounding the track or runway of a beef-cooler or similar apparatus; the opening being ordinarily placed above the door of said cooler.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a closure for an opening such as above disclosed, which shall coinprise movable plates or slide-doors operated by suitable mechanism, when the door is opened, to move the plates away from said opening above the door, and the door arranged when closing, to operate the mechanism aforesaid for the purpose of closing said opening. In other words, when the door of a cooler is opened mechanism is actuated which is caused to remove the plates from the opening and when the door is closed the opening is closed simultaneously therewith.

Further objects and aims of the invention will be further understood from the following specification, and drawing forming a part thereof, in which Figure l is a front elevation showing a portion of a cooler, the door being removed, and the plates covering the opening above the door, together with the mechanism for operating said plate; the mechanism being shown in dotted lines to show the movement thereof when the plates are opened; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan, to show how the door operates when closing, to close the plates over the opening; and the means for sliding the plates from the opening when the door is opened; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan through the opening surrounding the track or runway showing one form of plate and the manner of insulating; Fig. i is a sectional plan, similar to Fig. 3, but showing a different form of plate and a different mode of insulating; Fig. 5 is a sectional plan, similar to Fig. 2, except that the door is closed, and shows a door and jamb having a square face.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.

1 denotes the front wall of a suitable beef-cooler or other refrigerating appa ratus, which has the opening 2, adapted to be closed by a swinging or angularly movable door. 3. The door is removed in Fig.

1, to disclose other important features, but a portion thereof is shown in Fig. 2.

There is provided in beef-coolers or other similar refrigerating apparatus, a track or runway 1, extending through the cooler and out beyond the same for some distance, from which are adapted to be suspended sections of beef or other food products for refrigeration. The manner of suspending such product is not material; but it is necessary to provide for the removal of such product from the cooler and this is usually accomplished by running the same out on the track or runway t, which necessitates the provision of an opening similar to 5, being made in the front wall of the cooler and directly above the opening 2 and the door 3. To provide for the proper refrigeration of the product within the cooler or refrigerator, the opening 5 must be normally closed and so insulated that all warm air will be excluded. To do this, I. have provided the superimposed sliding doors (3 and 7, of any suitable material and of such a height and width as to completely close the opening 5, when the doors are brought together; that portion of the edges of the doors abutting with the track or runway being so formed as to follow the contour of the track and provide a tight closure. To facilitate in holding the doors snugly to the face of the cooler and to cover the opening 5, a guide such as 8, may be employed. In Fig. 3, insulation is provided by placing suitable stripping 9 within and around the walls of the opening 5, and by covering the n'iatching edges of the doors with stripping as at 10. In Fig. 4, the doors are provided with the inturned matching angular portions 11, and between the matching wall of the opening 5 and the plate 11', is placed the criniped material as at 12; which, when the doors are separated, will fold upon itself, and when closed, as in the figure, will present some what the appearance as shown.

The devices for controlling the movements of the doors 6 and 7 are as follows: 13 indicates a lever pivoted as at 14., to the face of the cooler. 15 denotes an arm or rod pivoted as at 16 to the lever 13 and at 17 to the door 6. Pivoted at 18 to the door 7 is a rod or bar 18 which at its outer end is pivoted at 19 to a lever 20; the lever 20 being pivoted at 21 to the face of the cooler and its opposite end pivoted at 22 to one end of a bar 23, which at its opposite end is pivoted to the upper end of the lever 13. Thus it will be seen that by oscillating the lever 13, motion may be imparted to open or close the doors 6 and 7 as may be desired.

At a suitable point in the wall or casing of the cooler, is provided the recess 24, and the face of the cooler slotted as at and communicating with the recess 24. In the recess 24 is carried a plunger 26, which is adapted to be extended through the wall forming the opening 2, in which the door 3 is seated when closed. For convenience, the wall surrounding the opening 2, is beveled as shown and the edge of the door 3 corresponds, but this form of opening is not altogether necessary to the perfect operation of the device. The plunger 26 is provided with a stem 27 extending out through the slot 25 in the wall of the cooler and to the stem 27 is connected the lower end of the lever 18 as shown; and seated in the recess 24 and bearing against one end of the recess and one end of the plunger 26 is seen a spring 28, which is adapted to hold the plunger 26 extended when the door is opened for the purpose of opening the doors 6 and 7 and the end of the plunger is operated upon by the edge of the door as it is closed for the purpose of closing the doors 6 and 7 simul' taneously with the closing of the door 8 of the cooler. To protect the wall surrounding the recess 24 through which the plunger is extended, a plate 29 is used, and a similar plate 30 placed in the edge of the door against which the plunger abuts as the door is closed.

Fig. 5 illustrates a door and jamb having a square face, which it is believed will operate to an advantage when the edge of the door abuts with the plunger 26. The door 3 is shown closed, which will result in the doors 6 and 7 closing over the opening 5, as has been described.

It is obvious that many minor changes may be made in the arrangement and detail construction of the parts of my apparatus, and I do not wish to be confined to the details set forth, but to embody all that will come within the scope of the present invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:-

1. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination with a housing having the entranceway 2 and the opening 5, a door for the entrance, plates for covering the opening 5, a lever, connections between the lever and plates, a plunger arranged in the wall of the housing, means for automatically operating the plunger when the door is opened and thereby removing the plates from the opening 5, and the door adapted to actuate said plunger when closing for the purpose of operating the plates to close the opening 5, substantially as specified.

2. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination with a housing provided with a main entrance and a superposed opening, of a swinging door adapted to close the main entrance, oppositely movable plates adapted to close over the superposed opening, a lever and connections between the plates and lever, lever controlling devices within the housing, adapted to automatically actuate the same to move the plates from the superposed opening upon opening the swinging door, the said swinging door adapted when closing to operate upon the lever controlling devices aforesaid and simultaneously close the said plates, substantially as specified.

3. In a refrigerating apparatus, having an entrance 2 and the opening 5, a swinging door for closing the opening 2, a track extending through said apparatus and through the opening 5, slide-doors supported for closing the opening 5, insulating material attached to said doors for the purpose specified, and means between all of said doors for opening and closing them together, substantially as specified.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with the door 3 and the opening 5 above said door, slidably arranged plates for covering the opening 5 a lever, connections between the lever and said plates, a plunger, connections between the plunger and lever, aspring for operating the plunger to cause a simultaneous opening of the plates as the door 8is opened, and said door adapted to actuate said plunger for closing said plates as the door 3 is closed.

5. The combination, with a door opening, of a swinging door and a pair of slidedoors arranged to close said opening, and connectionbetween all of said doors whereby same are caused to open and close si multaneously.

6. The combination, with a door opening, of an angularly movable door and a pair of slide-doors for closing said opening, and

means between all of said doors for opening and closing them together.

7. The combination with a single door opening, of a swinging door, a pair of superposed sliding doors movable toward and from each other, a lever, means for moving said sliding doors in opposite directions by said lever, and means for actuating said lever by said swinging door. 7

8. The combination of a housing having a door opening, of a swinging door and a pair of slide-doors arranged to close said opening, a lever pivoted to the wall of the housing and having a member movable in a slotted portion of the housing, connections between the slide-doors and said lever, a spring for acting on the member aforesaid of the lever when the swinging door is opened, said swinging door in turn adapted to act upon the member aforesaid when being closed, substantially for the purpose specified.

9. The combination of a housing having a door opening also a recess in the wall of said housing, of a swinging door and a pair of slide-doors arranged to close said opening, a lever pivoted to the Wall of the housing, a plunger movable in the recess aforesaid, connections between plunger and lover, a spring seated in the recess adapted to extend the plunger when the swinging door is opened to operate the lever and thereby the slide doors, said swinging door adapted in closing to operate upon the plunger for reversing the movement of the said lever and slide-doors connected therewith, substantially for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. ASI-IWORTH. Witnesses:

Crms. W'. LA Ponrn, ROBERT N. MCCORMICK. 

